Pneumatic self-playing musical instrument.



L. B. DOMAN. v PNEUMATIC SELF PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 6, 1904.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

fin

or distention, and is narticularly adapted for controlling the expression during the rendition of a musical sirirrns "Aunt LEWIS B. DOMAN, OF ELBRIDGE, NEW YOlvK, ASSIGNOR 'lO AVTHIOX PIANO PLAYER COMPANY, OF ELBRIDGE, NEW YORK,

A CORPORATION Ol" NEW YORK.

- PNEUMATIC SELF-PLAYING MUSICAL INSTRUIIENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Lnwis B. DOMAN, of Elbridge, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Self- Playing Musical Instruments, of which the following, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in pneumatic self-playing musical instruments, but refers more particularly to an expression controlling mechanism by which the force by step from one extreme to the other.

My objcc is to client this gradation of expression by manually regulating the, in flow of. atmospheric air into the key-operating pneumatic from which the air has been pre usly exhausted. in other words, I have sought to grade the expression by rendering the action of the hey-operating pneumatic more or less sluggish in its recovery although this mechanism selection, it will be obvious that the principle involved therein may be applied to other uses for regulating the action of any other bellows orv pneumatic other than a hey-operating pneumatic, such for instance, as a pneumatic motor for operating the music-sheet winding and rewinding mechanism.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view partly in elevation of a portion of a pneumatic self-playing piano showing my improved means for controlling the force of action of the stril r-iingcrs to ,c'radcthe expression. :2 is vertical section of the expression governing pneunir-ilic and its controlling lever and spring.

The mechanism for operating the keys, as -aor" a musical instrument, may be briefly described consisting of key-striking lin- -lwhich are connected by links 2-- to suitable key-operating pneumatics -3, Fig. 1. These key-operating pneumatics are grouped together upon a suitable shell and each is placed in communication with an exhaust chamber {lthrough a zniitableport -5, and is also connected to atmdsphere through a second port 6. Movable between these ports 5 and 6 is a valve 7- which is operated by a primary pneumatic 8- for opening the port -5 and closing the port 6, thereby connecting the exhaust passage -4e with the interior of the pneumatic 3, and at the same time cutting off communication between the said pneumatic and the atmosphere. This primary pneumatic '-8- is connected by a conduit 9 to its duct --10- of a tracker-board -11 over which travels a perforated music sheet -l2. The conduits -9- are connected to and communicate with a second exhaust chamber -13 and these exhaust chambers of the hey pneumatics may be graded step l and -18 are both connected by a conduit l4. to any suitable air exhausting device, not necessary to herein illustrate or describe, as any suction device capable of maintaining a partial vacuum in the chambers and 13 Will serve the desired purpose.

The mechanism thus far described is similar to what is shownin my former application Serial No. 221,996, filed August 24, 190i, and therefore, it is unnecessary to further illustrate or describe the construction and operation of these parts.

The essential change which has been made in the application above referred to consists in inclosing the several atmosphere ports -6- in a suitable chamber 16- which has no connection with the exhaustchambers, but is connected by a conduit -17 to an additional pneumatic or bellows 18. This pneumatic --l8- is shown as provided with two ports l9- and --20, the port l9- receiving the conduit l7 while the port- 20 opens to atmosphere, Fig. 2. The movable wall, as -21, of the pneumatic -1S is provided on its inner face with a valve 2 having a felt or equiva lent porous face -23 which is movable into and out of engagement with the inner end of the port --19.

A lever -Q l is fulcrumed at 25- and has its lower end connected by a spring 9.(5 to the movable wall 2l of the pneumatic -18 while the upper end of said lever is adapted to be engaged by the hand of the operator, whereby the lever may he rocked upon its fulcrum along a suitable scale 27 upon which are marked 77 f, m, 77, and pp for indicating various degrees of expression from one extreme to the other. See Fig. 2.

It is now evident that the only communication between the pneumatics '-3 and atmosphere is through the port '6-, chamber l6, conduit l7-, and pneumatic 18- having the opening..20- which opens to atmosphere and that communication between the port .-20. and key operating pneumatic -3 is controlled entirely by the' valve -22-, Fig. 2. Now, if the valve -22- is allowed tc gartially close the port -19-, as for instance, by rocking the lever 24.- to the right until registered with the character ppthen it is evident that communication with theatmosphere 1s partially shut off except what gradually leaks or oozes through the porous felt facing '23, thus rendering the recovery or distention of the pneumatic -3- very slow and incomplete-so that as it is again brought into communication with the vacuum chamber before its reinflation is complete the action of the key-operating pneumatic is corre spondingly weak and capable only of producing a light pianissimo tone. On the other hand, assuming that the lever '2et is moved to the left into registration with the character, then the spring -26 will e tensioned, and the valve "22- will be fully opened or drawn away from the port -l9-, thus establishing full and complete communication between the key striking pneumatic 3- and port -20,, and under :such conditions the recovery or distention of the key-operating pneumatic is complete and instantaneous after each successive operation of the keys. It is now clearly evident that w by varying the degrees of proximity of the valve 22 to its seat -19- a corresponding variation in the activity of the pneumatic -3 is produced, which in turn, causes a similar variation in the expression or force of action of the keys, these intermediate expressions being indicated by the position of the lever upon the scale 27-.

' In operation, when the pneumatics 3- are placed in connection with the exhaust chamber l they are instantly deflated with a force proportionate to the extent of their previous inflation or distention so that if the governing pneumatic -1S- is held wide 'open the pneumatics 3- are operated with full fortissimo eiiect while if the valve -23- covers the port -l9- the recovery of the pneumatic is complete and the stroke light or pianissimo in its effect.

Now, by tensioning the spring 26- slightly the distance of the valve 23- from its seat is increased to allow the atmospheric air to flow more freely into the pneuregulated by the amount is introduced to oppose the closing of the pneumatic -18 as controlled by the leve 2& and spring ,26. v a 1 Having thus described iny iiivention yvl at I'claim and desire. to secure by Letters Batent is In a self-playing musical instrument, a striker pneumatic and an expression controlling pneumatic in combination with a valve chest having anexhaust chamber anda port' communicating with the expression .pneumatic, a valve controlling communication between the exhaust chamber and striker pneumatic andalso between said port and striker pneumatic, said'expression pneumatic having a 'ort opening to atmosphere, and also provi ed with a valve for controlling communication between the expression pneumatic and port in the valve chest, and a manual for operating the movable side of the expression pneumatic to control the action of the valve therein.

'2. In a self-playing musical instrument, a striker pneumatic an expresslon pneu- -matic having two ports, one opening to atmosphefe and the other connected to the striker pneumatic and having a movable side provided with a valve for opening and partially closing the port which communicates with the striker pneumatic, a manual for controlling the movable side of the expression pneumatic, a valve chest having an exhaust chamber also connected to the striker pneumatic, 'a valve in the valve chest for controllin communication between the expression an striker pneumatic and a pri mary pneumatic within the valve .chest for controlling the action of the valve therein.

3. In a self-playing musical instrument, a striker pneumatic, and means controlling the action of said striker pneumatic including an air chamber communicating with the atmosphere-and with the" striker pneumatic, a valve controlling communication between. the striker pneumatic and said chamber, and manually controlled means for operating said valve.

4. In a self-playing musical instrument, an exhaust chamber, a striker pneumatic connected to the exhaust chamber, means for opening and closing communication between the exhaust chamber and striker pneumatic,

an expression; governing pneumatic communicating with the firstna'med pneumatic and having a port opening to atmosphere, and manually operated means. for expanding the expression pneumatic. for varying the flow of atmospheric air through the expression pneumatic to the striker. pneumatic.

5. In a self-playing musical instrument, in combination with a striker pneumatic and air chamber having two ports, one .com-

municating with the atmosphere and the other communicating ,with the striker pneumatic, a valve coacting with the last named port to vary the flow of atmospheric air to the striker pneumatic, and manually operated means controlling the action cffsai'd I .valve.

primary pneumatic for operating the valve, a

erning 6. in a pneumatic self-playing musical instrument, an exhaust chamber, a striker pneumatic connected to the exhaust chamber, a valve controlling communicationbetween the exhaust chamber and strikef pneumatic, a

' flow of atmospheric air therethrough to the striker pneumatic.

7. In a pneumatic self-playing musical instrument,- an exhaust chamber, a striker pneumatic connected to the exhaust chamber,

and a manually operated expression controlling pneumatic opening to the atmosphere and connected to the striker pneumatic for varyingthe flow of atmospheric air to the striker pneumatic. 8. In a pneumatic self-playing musical instrument, an exhaust chamber, a striker pneumatic connected to the exhaust chamber and to the atmosphere, a valve and operating means therefor controlling communication betweenthe striker pneumatic, exhaust chamber and the atmosphere, and an expression controlling pneumatic having two ports, one of which is connected to the striker pneumatic and provided with a porous valve, the other port being open to atmosphere, said valve being operable manually to control the flow of atmospheric air to the striker pneumatic.

9. In a self-playing musical instrument, an exhaust chamber, a striker pneumatic connected to the exhaust chamber and with the atmosphere, a perforated music sheet, and means controlled thereby for making and breaking connection between the exhaust chamber and striker pneumatic, connections between the striker pneumatic and atmosphere including an expression controlling pneumatic opening to atmosphere and operable manually to control the passage of atmospheric air to the striker pneumatic and thereby regulate the power with which said pneumatic is operated.

10. In a pneumatic self-playing musical instrument, an exhaust chamber, a striker pneumatic, connections between the striker pneumatic and exhaust chamber, additional connections between the striker pneumatic and atmosphere including therein an expression controlling pneumatic opening to atmosphere, a perforated music sheet, and means controlled thereby for making and breaking connections between the striker pneumatic, exhaust chamber and the atmosphere, said expression pneumatic having its movable side provided with a porous valve to control the passage of air therethrough to the striker pneumatic, and manually operated means for operating the movable side of the expression controlling pneumatic.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this day of September 1904:.

LEWIS B. DOMAN. 

